A field method for near real-time analysis of perchloroethylene in end-exhaled breath.

The field method for near real-time analysis of perchloroethylene (Perc) in breath is simple, fast, and reproducible for Perc breath analysis in field settings and should prove useful in industrial hygiene practice. The method allows Perc monitoring with good specificity to the sub-part per million (ppm) level within minutes of exposure. A commercially available, portable gas chromatograph with a photoionization detector was used in these analyses.

Video exposure assessments demonstrate excessive laboratory formaldehyde exposures.

Video exposure assessments were conducted in a comparative anatomy laboratory using formaldehyde-preserved sharks and cats. Work in the facility using time-integrated samplers indicated personal and area concentrations generally below the current OSHA permissible exposure limit. However, complaints about room air quality were frequent and routine.

Evidence of reproductive endocrine effects in women with occupational fuel and solvent exposures.

Hydrocarbons (HCs) found in fuels and solvents are ubiquitous in the environment, yet we know little about their effects on the endocrine system. The objective of this study was to assess the potential reproductive endocrine effects of low-dose HCs encountered by female U.S.

Performance of industrial mist collectors over time.

Effective, economical control of metalworking fluid mists at the source is important, because exposure to these mists may cause adverse health effects. This study investigated performance changes over time for industrial collectors that removed metalworking fluid mist in the laboratory and in a transmission plant. Aerosizers were used to measure the efficiency of each stage in several multistage collectors as a function of mist droplet diameter, for up to one year of continuous operation.

Mist control at a machining center, Part 2: Mist control following installation of air cleaners.

At a machining center used to produce transaxle and transmission parts, aerosol instrumentation was used to quantitatively evaluate size-dependent mist generation of a synthetic metalworking fluid (MWF) consisting primarily of water and triethanolamine (TEA). This information was used to select an air cleaner for controlling the mist. During most machining operations, the MWF was flooded over the part.